Exploring the international uptake of the "F-words in childhood disability": A citation analysis

Abstract

Background: The "F-words in childhood disability" (function, family, fitness, fun, friends, and future) were introduced in a concept paper in 2012 entitled, "The F-words in childhood disability: I swear this is how we should think!". The "F-words" are grounded in, and aim to operationalize, the World Health Organization's (World Health Organization, 2001) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework. A citation analysis was conducted to explore the extent of research uptake of the "F-words" concepts.

Methods: Three databases-Google Scholar, Wiley Online, and Web of Science-were searched from July 2012 to December 2018 for sources that cited the original F-words paper. Dates of publication and countries of first authors were extracted from all cited articles, and a taxonomy was developed to categorize the type of usage.

Results: The search yielded 157 sources from 26 countries, and the number of citations has continued to increase since the paper's publication. Sources were placed into three categories: cited/referenced (n = 109; i.e., the paper was simply cited), integrated/informed (n = 36; i.e., the F-words were stated within the text), and non-English (n = 12). Of the 36 integrated/informed sources, 34 (94.4%) applied the F-words to the ICF framework and five themes emerged with respect to the use of the F-words: (a) support of a holistic approach to childhood disability, (b) association of the F-words to physical activity and rehabilitation, (c) application and measurement of quality of life, (d) F-words research team-related papers, and (e) "other" category.

Conclusion: This citation analysis shows that the F-words are mainly being used to operationalize the ICF, support a holistic approach to childhood disability, and inform physical activity and rehabilitation-based interventions. These perspectives will play an important role in informing the next steps with respect to moving the F-words into research and practice.

Keywords: F-words; ICF; childhood disability; physical activity; quality of life; rehabilitation.